Inside The Vikings

Jordan Love's INT vs. 49ers Brings Back Memories of Vikings' Brett Favre

Love threw a game-losing pick that looked just like the one Favre threw 14 years ago.
Will Ragatz|
Jordan Love's INT vs. 49ers Brings Back Memories of Vikings' Brett Favre
Jordan Love's INT vs. 49ers Brings Back Memories of Vikings' Brett Favre

In this story:

Minnesota Vikings

The Packers' season came to an end on Saturday night when Jordan Love — who had been so good for most of his first two postseason games — rolled out and threw a pass back across his body that was picked off by 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw. It was a critical mistake in a situation where Green Bay just needed a field goal to send their divisional round matchup to overtime.

It also looked a whole lot like one of the most infamous plays in Vikings history. 14 years ago, in the NFC championship game, the Vikings and Saints were tied at 28 with less than 20 seconds on the clock. Minnesota was already on the edge of field goal range when Brett Favre rolled to his right, tried to throw back across his body, and was picked off by Tracy Porter. The Saints went on to win in overtime.

The plays are eerily similar.

The 49ers were able to kneel out the clock on the next play, advancing to their third consecutive NFC championship game. Even though it was a disappointing end to a winnable game for the seventh-seeded Packers, their future appears to be bright. Love played at a very high level down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs, and the roster has plenty of young talent on both sides of the ball.

Favre himself chimed in after the loss (though he didn't mention the pick directly).

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all season long.

Subscribe to the Inside the Vikings newsletter

Follow Will Ragatz on Twitter

Published
Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

Share on XFollow WillRagatz
Home/News